


Well this is just Purr-fect

by HoneyBeeez



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Cats, Connections, House Sitting, M/M, Magic, Magic!AU, Mihashi stops playing baseball after high school and Abe was obviously never there, does this count as Slow Burn?, i got sat on by a cat and got inspired, it makes sense okay? trust me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9118009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyBeeez/pseuds/HoneyBeeez
Summary: Mihashi house-sits for someone as they go on vacation, but he most definitely doesn't sign up for any mystical connections that would be out of his control.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for my friend on tumblr and hopefully they like it! happy late holidays!

Mihashi took the job for two reasons and for two reasons only: he needed the money and he needed some time away from college life.

He was _not_ expecting _this_.

He saw the bright flier outside of his hardest class, big and bright letters proclaiming, “ **HOUSE SITTER NEEDED** ” and a little blurb about the job under it. Mihashi would have walked right past it, but, too tired and not nearly ready enough to trek back to his room and start on his homework, he stopped and read it.

“ **Going on vacation for three days. Must be willing to stay at house full time, take care of cats and plants, and clean if necessary. Payment will be discussed if considered for hiring. Interested? Call…** ”

A number followed and, eager for a new setting and new _cats_ , Mihashi punched the number into his phone and dialed.

After a short conversation and a quick schedule check, Mihashi landed a meeting with the person who posted the ad. He grinned on his way back to his dorm, thrilled that he had an opportunity.

As it turned out, the person with the ad was a well-known professor on campus, one that Mihashi even heard of the moment he started classes. He was nice, laid-back, and unlike the other professors, which made him well-liked and respected. Mihashi, unable to take this lightly, stuttered throughout their meeting, which made the professor chuckle. Mihashi thought he was going to be turned down for sure, but, instead, the professor invited him to his condo on campus to meet his cats and familiarize himself with the place.

There were three cats in all and they all, thankfully, liked Mihashi, or at least tolerated him. One, a big, fat, white-and-orange cat, took a liking to him immediately, circling his ankles and purring so loud, she sounded exactly like a car starting. The youngest one, who had black-and-brown markings with a white face, let Mihashi pet him before meowing loudly and darting away to another room. The black cat, with big, yellow eyes and a white spot near his tail, gave him a lazy-eyed glare before curling up on the top of the couch and falling, promptly, to sleep.

Mihashi thought he did something wrong, but the professor gave him a wide grin and told him he had the job.

And so, that’s how Mihashi found himself moving nearly all of his stuff into the professor’s condo a week later, key in his pocket and payment already fattening his wallet.

The first day was spent making sure the place was spotless, that the cats were fed, and the plants properly watered. After, unsure what to do after that, Mihashi sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, too scared to sit on the expensive-looking sofa, with his laptop out and music playing to keep him focused on his work.

He didn’t get much work done, to say the least. The orange cat sat on his lap as soon as he got settled, purring so loudly Mihashi could _feel_ the soft rumble on the top of his thigh. And he couldn’t possibly say no to those green eyes that practically _begged_ him for attention. The brown-and-black cat sat nearby, almost jealous of the attention the other cat got but not daring to go much closer.

The black cat stayed well away from him, which was a little disappointing.

Mihashi made himself some dinner in the kitchen, humming along to the song that was playing in the background as he did so. The professor said to help himself to the kitchen, restocking it just before leaving, knowing full-well Mihashi’s inclination to cooking; it came up in their conversation beforehand, and Mihashi’s surprise was turned into understanding as to why he was so well-liked on campus.

Curry made, Mihashi eats slowly on the table, hissing slightly when he nearly burns his tongue. He stores the leftovers in a container and swears that he’ll eat the rest in the morning.

When he turns back around to grab his emptied bowl from the table, he nearly jumps out of his skin. The black cat was standing proudly on the table, head bowed into the bowl as he lapped up the leftover curry on the sides of the bowl.

Mihashi takes a second to calm down, clutching his beating heart as it threatens to burst out of his ribcage. He takes three even breaths before standing up straight and taking small, even steps towards the table.

The black cat starts when Mihashi reaches out and strokes him from the top of his head to the base of his tail. For a split second, the cat arches his back into the touch, but before Mihashi can move to pet him again, he darts off the table and into another room.

“There he goes,” Mihashi mutters, before covering his mouth quickly. It was the first time he’d spoken since he stepped into the condo and… it was weird, talking when he knew no one was listening. He shakes his head at himself before picking up his dishes and washing them.

Time passes on the floor yet again, wrapped up in a blanket he brought with him and watching his favorite shows on Netflix. Mihashi never had the luxury to actually _sit down and watch something_ with the lack of a television and the excess amount of work to be done. But, he chose to indulge himself, even if for a little bit. He ends up absentmindedly stroking the orange cat and the black-and-brown cat simultaneously, laughing at the snide jokes in the show, until about one in the morning.

When he realizes the time, Mihashi jumps up and turns off the T.V. quickly. “And this is why I get nothing done,” he mumbles, before filling up the cats’ food and water dishes, shuffling his way into the guest bedroom, and falling asleep.

* * *

 

The next morning, Mihashi wakes up with a mysterious warmth near the crown of his head. He yawns, his jaw popping slightly as he does so, and tilts his head upwards. He’s not too incredibly shocked to see the black cat curled up on the pillow, right above his head, but it does make him laugh a little.

“So you choose to pay attention when I’m not, huh?” he slurs sleepily, reaching a hand up to pet him. The black cat nudges back at his hand before standing up, stretching, and then stalking his way out of the room. “And he’s gone. Good going.”

Mihashi rolls out of bed groggily, groaning at the cold without his blanket around him, and gets to his feet. Thankfully, it’s the weekend and he doesn’t have any classes. But he still has that paper due tomorrow, and that problem set due the day after that, and then the outline for his research paper he still needs to start. Mihashi feels the tears prickle at his eyes, and he blinks quickly to chase them away.

The moment he walks out of the room, the orange cat is circling his ankles and meowing noisily. He’s pulled out of his thoughts and smiles down at her before stooping down and petting her.

“Good morning, kitty,” he coos, smiling as the purring starts. “Come on, let’s go get you guys so breakfast, yeah?”

So, he might feel a little bit silly talking to cats, but he has to admit it’s pretty funny. He knows they’re listening to him, but it’s like risk-free conversation, without judgement or stakes and its… _nice_.

He feeds the cats and makes sure they have enough water before walking around the condo almost in awe. Spending all day there, you would think that he would be used to how _expensive_ everything is, but he’s still no over it. The flowers he’s supposed to water, too, are so fancy, Mihashi’s only ever seen them in Google searches. He takes care of them gently, avoiding touching them as much as possible, unreasonably thinking that if he does one thing wrong, they would die instantly.

Mihashi makes some toast, plugs his laptop in to charge, and settles himself down at the table gingerly. He munches on in silence, thinking in circles about what he has to get done and how to break down his time and what he’s going to do afterwards to make himself feel better.

This time, he actually cracks down and _works_. He’s halfway through with bullshitting his paper when he realizes that sound is _his stomach_. He groans, slightly embarrassed that he would forget something like _eating_ so easily, and gets up to get that leftover curry in the fridge.

He eats, and then works on that problem set. He _feels_ the questions grate on his brain, breaking him down with every question he doesn’t know where to start with. He hates the class, not because the professor was bad, but because the material _doesn’t stick_. He studies, he tries, he works hard and… it’s for nothing. He doesn’t understand and it’s frustrating.

Mihashi goes and gets the textbook he has from the guest room, but it doesn’t help much. It’s like the author wrote in a secret code that only people who _understood_ could read, and it made Mihashi a little more upset than it should have. He slams the book shut, wincing a little at the noise it makes, and turns away from the table and his work with a huff.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels the hot tears spill down his cheeks, and then it’s like a dam breaks. Sobs choke him, shoulders shaking, and it’s hard for him to breathe. He _hates_ this. He hates not being able to stop this from happening. He hates that this isn’t the first or the last time that he’s done this. He hates that he keeps everything inside until he last second and breaking when it gets too much. He hates…. _himself_.

He doesn’t know when he moves, but he finds himself laying down in front of the coffee table, tears streaming down the sides of his face and his ribs flaring helplessly, trying to get a full breath in.

And then, suddenly, inexplicably, there’s a weight on his stomach, pressing down especially hard in two points right where his ribs end. It hurts, but just slightly, so he opens his red-rimmed eyes and looks.

The black cat looks down at him with his yellow eyes, and for some strange reason Mihashi thinks that “concern” is written all over his face. He reaches out to move him off, but the cat stubbornly stays. He doesn’t know why the cat’s acting up now, not when he practically ignored him all of yesterday, but Mihashi chalks it up to his emotions and leaves it at that.

“I’m alright,” Mihashi says lowly, his throat a bit raw from crying too hard for too long. “It’s okay, I’m fine,” he says, not knowing why he wants to plead with the cat. The black cat looks at him, unimpressed and unconvinced at his words, and firmly lays completely down across Mihashi’s chest.

Without the cat’s paws pushing into the bottom of his ribs, Mihashi thinks this is nice. The cat is warm and obviously concerned, even though Mihashi doesn’t know why, and his crying has stopped. His hand reaches up slowly to give the cat a pet, and, this time, the cat doesn’t run. Mihashi grins, and loses himself in the sensation of petting the cat.

His fur is so soft, it’s practically silk, and it’s long and well-kept. The cat starts purring softly, and Mihashi can’t help but laugh a little.

“Thanks,” Mihashi mumbles, smiling up at the cat, who blinks slowly before closing his eyes once more. Mihashi lazily does the same and accidentally falls asleep in the process.

* * *

 

When Mihashi wakes up, it’s with the realization that there’s a heavy, heavy weight that rests everywhere from his chest down. His eyes fly open and he looks down, expecting to still see the black cat perched on top of him… but it isn’t. All he sees is a tuft of black hair, like the top of someone’s head resting on his chest… And then it hits him.

_There’s a person lying on top of him_.

Mihashi screams.

The person on top of him wakes slowly, groaning just a bit and mumbling something under their breath. Mihashi feels the warmth of it through his T-shirt, and his scream doesn’t stop. The person shifts, like they’re uncomfortable, nuzzling into his chest and curling around him more before lifting their head and glaring.

“What are you yelling about now? Really? I just woke up!” The voice is rough, but not as rough as the gray eyes staring at him. Mihashi stops screaming, clamping his lips shut and trying his best not to panic. The person has him pinned to the floor, and he couldn’t move even if he tried. His wide eyes must have betrayed his fear, because the person cocks their head to the side and stares. “What are you all clammed up for? You look like you just saw a…” they trail off, their own eyes going wide with something like realization.

In a flash, the person is scrambling off him, standing up wobbly and balancing for a second like it was a new development. It’s then that Mihashi sees that the person is utterly and totally _male_ , and he covers his eyes hastily and cringes.

“W- _Why are you naked!?_ ” Mihashi screeches, finding his voice as he scoots away from the intruder the best he can.

“I’m _human_!” he screams, triumphantly, looking at his hands and toes in delight. “Wait, wait…” he says, shaking his head and running his fingers through his black hair quickly. “If I’m human, then that must mean that…” his eyes return to Mihashi, and he can practically _feel_ his gaze rest on him steadily, “we’re connected.”

“Y-you’re… _naked_ …” Mihashi stresses again, not having the willpower to return the gaze or even peek between his fingers. He’s _seen enough_ , really….

“Oh. Right. Do you have a change of clothes I can borrow?”

Mihashi _bolts_ out of the room to grab him a shirt and a pair of boxers that would hopefully fit him. He tosses it to him when he comes back, and the person fumbles with the clothes awkwardly before slipping them on.

“L-look, I… I don’t really live here, I’m only house-sitting, and I’m sure I’m not supposed to have anyone here, so it would be best if you would just leave and never come back again and never tell anyone you got in because then I would be in really big trouble,” Mihashi rambles, trying his best to corner the person and make him back away towards the door. The person only laughs a little before levelling him yet another look.

“I live here.” The statement is so simple, so _truthful_ , that Mihashi has to blink and stare at him like he was crazy.

“The professor didn’t mention having a roommate so… you have to g-”

“I’m not his _roommate_ ,” the person stresses, pinching the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath and lifting his head once more. “Let me explain. My real name is Abe Takaya, and I’m- _was_ a black cat.”

Mihashi struggled not to faint.

“W-What... how it that… you’re lying,” Mihashi finally decides, resolutely, levelling the stranger ( _Abe Takaya_ , he knows, he has it memorized) a flimsy glare.

“I’m _not_ lying. I’ll tell you everything…” the stranger stops to consider something for a second, “if you make some more of that curry.”

_**. . .** _

In the time it takes for Mihashi to prepare, cook, and serve the curry, Abe tells his story in perfect detail without skipping a single beat, but it’s so far out there and so _surreal_ , that Mihashi doesn’t know whether he believes it or not.

It all started, apparently, when he was little, no older than five. His family had a bad dealing with some client of his father’s, who worked at an office building at the time. They argue, have a falling out, and the client is escorted out of the building. What they didn’t know was that, in fact, the client was practiced in various kinds of magics and swore to hurt Abe’s father where it would hurt him the most. So, the client stalked him, found out where he lived, and learned he had a son, and another child on the way.

The client found Abe when he was alone, and cursed him, forcing him to become a cat until he “connects with someone deeply and truly unlike your detached, deranged father.”

Mihashi just couldn’t really believe that there was magic involved at all, but seeing that Abe was sitting in front of him, in the flesh, scarfing down a bowl of curry like he never truly learned how to handle a spoon, he guessed it had to be true.

“So… we’re… connected,” Mihashi says slowly. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“Not sure, really,” Abe says, wiping his mouth with the backside of his hand with one wide movement. “All I know is that, well… I don’t think I ever wanted anything more in my whole entire life than you to stop crying earlier. It was… weird, to say the least. Like a pull. Like I couldn’t just let you feel all down and alone, so I… did something about it. And here we are.”

“And here we are…” Mihashi repeats, nodding. “What am I going to tell the professor?” he mutters afterwards, dropping his head into his hands.

“I’ll explain everything, you’re a mess in front of him,” Abe says, laughing a little as he says it. “Anyways, thanks for the meal. You should probably finish whatever you were working on earlier. It’s late.” Abe stands up from the table and absentmindedly tousles Mihashi’s hair. Apparently, he gets lost in the feeling, because he steps closer to him, running his hands through his hair with abandon and a genuine grin on his face. Its only when Mihashi lets out a sort of squeak that he stops and backs away.

Abe turns away, a deep red flush taking over his face, and flops down onto the couch. Mihashi cleans up the table and the rest of the mess he made, swipes his laptop from the coffee table, and works silently in the kitchen. The huge orange cat still dances around his ankles, purring loudly with each turn and flick of its tail. Only this time, instead of hounding Mihashi incessantly, the cat sustains one look from Abe and obediently steps away. The black-and-brown cat stays by Abe’s side. Mihashi, miraculously, gets his work done. He finishes that paper, surprising even himself as he writes the last sentence and figures out that it’s the _perfect_ conclusion. He even struggles through the rest of his problem set. He does a rough outline, nothing more than a couple words jotted down in quick succession, but it got done. It’s a weird sort of victory, but it’s a victory nonetheless.

He perches himself down onto the couch, keeping a bit of distance away from Abe. He leans forward, grabs the remote, and clicks on the TV. Even before the screen flickers to life, Abe kicks out his leg, nudging the side of Mihashi’s thigh with his foot. A light-hearted chuckle escapes Abe’s throat at Mihashi’s shock.

“What are we watching?” Abe asks casually, as if they have been lounging around together for years. Mihashi thinks that this whole _connection_ thing is going to his head.

“D-do you have anything in mind?” Mihashi asks considerately, pressing a button and browsing the listing. “There’s so many channels,” he breathes, and Abe laughs at his little exclamation. Mihashi shoots him a half-hearted glare and changes the channel to a dog training show.

“Funny,” Abe mutters, pouting a bit, “very funny. You know dogs are total assholes, right? They never know when to stop or pick their battles or _anything_.”

“Not… much of a dog person, myself,” Mihashi says slowly, smiling a little. “I’ve always liked cats better.”

“Good,” Abe says, tucking his toes underneath Mihashi’s leg. “Now change the channel.”

They spend the rest of the day like that, watching TV and not talking much. Mihashi was a bit nervous at first, because he wasn’t really good with people in the first place, let alone with a person who hasn’t _been_ a person since they were a kid. He expected it to be uncomfortable, but it was actually pretty okay.

Mihashi makes some stir fry for dinner, something quick and easy, and of course Abe mooches off him but he doesn’t complain. It’s pretty late as it is, and Mihashi doesn’t think he can take too much more TV watching. Sure, he has nothing else to do and browsing all those channels is _fun_ , but Abe keeps shuffling closer and closer like he expects Mihashi not to notice and he can’t pretend anymore before he bursts into laughter.

“I’m… uh, going to go to bed soon, s-so… do whatever it is you normally do?” Mihashi says, waiting for Abe to finish his food before taking his dishes and putting them in the sink.

“I can do things by myself, you know,” Abe mumbles, his bottom lip jutting out slightly, almost like he _wanted_ to do his own dishes, which Mihashi can’t really understand. “I’ll be fine. Good night.”

“N-Night…” Mihashi says, making to go to the guest bedroom, but he stops as he passes Abe. Hesitantly. Like he doesn’t know what came over him (because he really _doesn’t_ ), Mihashi reaches out a hand and ruffles Abe’s hair quickly before continuing on his way.

He doesn’t dwell on the fact that Abe practically leaned into the touch right before he falls asleep.

* * *

 

When Mihashi wakes up the next morning, he feels a familiar warmth and weight that he shouldn’t be used to, let along _welcoming_. His legs are tangled in between something, there’s something warm pressed to his chest, and his hand is resting on something that shouldn’t be so soft. He opens his eyes with a groan, because the light filtering through the windows hurts, and finds himself with a face full of black hair _again_.

In a second, he realizes that it’s _Abe_ that’s tangled around him, sleeping peacefully as if nothing could wake him. For his size, he made himself unbelievably small, curling up to Mihashi, tangling his legs with his, and tucking his head under his chin. It would have been amusing, but all Mihashi wonders is how they got in that position without him waking up.

He slips away from Abe, replacing his warmth with the blankets he curled up in, before going to the bathroom and noticing his crimson red cheeks. He slaps water on his face relentlessly before plodding over to the kitchen and scrambling some eggs for breakfast. He eats his portion and leaves Abe’s on the table before taking care of the other two cats and going to town on cleaning the kitchen.

The professor was coming back today, and Mihashi was nervous, to say the least. He didn’t do anything necessarily _bad_ , but he didn’t want anything out of place in fear of invoking the professor’s wrath. Also, he somehow managed _turn his cat into a human by the power of tears_ , and he really doesn’t know how Abe’s going to explain that to him, but just thinking about it is making him a train wreck.

He’s halfway through with scrubbing the kitchen floor down with diluted rubbing alcohol when he hears footsteps through the house.

“What’re you doing?” Abe asks groggily, musing his hair with one hand and scratching at his stomach with the other.

“C-Cleaning. The professor is coming back today, so I have to make sure-”

“He doesn’t care if the place is spotless, you know that, right?” he asks, raising an eyebrow before setting his sights on the eggs left out for him. “Oh… thank you,” he breathes, almost shocked that Mihashi would do this for him, before sitting down and eating silently.

Mihashi continues to clean despite what Abe said. Of course he was going to make everything spotless! The professor obviously expected greatness and there was no way Mihashi was going to give him less than he demands. He finishes the kitchen, then scrubs the bathroom down, reorganizes the bed in the guest room, situates the things he brought at least four times, and vacuums.

And all the while, Abe just stared at him like he was crazy.

When he’s finally done, Mihashi collapses on the couch, drained from his panic-driven cleaning spell, and lets out a sigh. Abe sits down next to him, a scowl on his face, but he doesn’t say anything.

And then it hits Mihashi.

“What are you going to do if the professor kicks you out?” Mihashi asks, bolting upright and looking at Abe with wide eyes. The question obviously catches Abe off-guard, his eyes widening slightly, before he relaxes and shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“I’ll live. I’ll probably stay close to campus so I can see you, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Abe says, and Mihashi refuses to admit that his cheeks darken when he factors him into the equation. “Besides, I don’t think the professor would kick me out. He’s always wanted kids.”

“He does?” Mihashi asks, not expecting that to come from his lips.

“That’s why he has us,” Abe says easily. “He always calls us his kids. He rescued the two of them off the streets, and he got me from the adoption center that caught me a couple weeks after I was cursed. He likes us all a lot so… I don’t think I’ll be kicked out.”

“Y-You’ll… just have to explain what happened, then?” Mihashi says.

“That’s the plan.”

The two of them talk for a little while longer after that, the topic flying from life as a cat to Mihashi’s now-over baseball days in high school. Abe somehow managed to throw a leg over Mihashi’s like it was nothing, and Mihashi has to pretend that it doesn’t make his heart thrum a little bit faster in his chest than before.

“ _Wow_ ,” he thinks, “ _this_ connection _stuff is really going to my head_.”

Soon, the professor is back, keys jingling and unlocking the front door. Mihashi and Abe scramble up from the couch at the same time that the cats come sprinting out of their hiding spots to greet him.

The professor is all smiles until he realizes Abe is there. His face turns into a dark mask before Abe lifts his hands in a calming manner and explains everything. The professor’s eyes water throughout the retelling, and he pulls Abe into what looks like a bone-crushing hug when Abe finishes. Mihashi tries not to think about how he’s intruding on a technically-familial moment, and looks down when he hears a choked, “ _my son_ ” fall from the professor’s lips.

Mihashi slips out of the scene to get his stuff, and when he returns, the professor is practically waiting there with open arms. When he tentatively accepts the hug, the professor murmurs something along the lines of always being welcome here and to not be a stranger. Mihashi isn’t sure what he says to get the man to stop, but he eventually does. He smiles at the two of them, hoping it’s as warm as he would want it to be, before making to bow out of the condo.

He barely takes a step before he’s caught in yet another hug by Abe. The taller boy leans into him heavily, burying his nose into Mihashi hair. Mihashi has to chuckle at the soft hum from Abe’s throat in lieu of a purr.

“Promise me you’ll be back,” he pleads.

Mihashi can’t respond with anything other than, “Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! please leave a comment and tell me what you think!!  
> love you! stay safe, have a happy new year, and know that im here to talk if you ever need someone!  
> -HB


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